Southeast Notebook: West Covina coach Mike Maggiore explains why Cal is not a great site for a CIF title, but also says, “We’ll play them anywhere.”

BREAKING UPDATE After CIF officials toured Cal Hi on Wednesday, they approved the site for Friday’s game.

By Aram Tolegian, Staff Writer
After some deliberation, the CIF-Southern Section Southeast Division football championship game between West Covina and La Serna will be played at California High in Whittier. Kickoff is 7 p.m. on Friday. La Serna, which plays its home games at California, was urged by West Covina to move the site of the game to an alternate site nearby, but the Lancers would not budge because of a preference to play on a grass surface.
“To my understanding, their coach wants to play on their home field,” West Covina coach Mike Maggiore said. “The biggest thing is the surface. Cal High is mostly dirt. There’s not very much green when you see it on film. They think it’s to their advantage and it’s their home game so they have the right to do that.
“Our biggest thing was that Cal High only holds 4,000 people, 1,500 on our side and 2,500 on their side. I just think we’re probably going to have closer to 7,000 people at the game. It’s the only game around and we travel really well and I think they’re going to have more people than they think also.”

West Covina plays its home games on FieldTurf, which is artificial grass. Some coaches theorize FieldTurf is a faster surface than real grass and putting the faster team in a particular matchup on real grass may lessen any perceived edge in speed.

The schools had talked about playing at La Mirada or Fullerton High before La Serna’s preference of Cal High won.

“I would like to think our guys won’t be fazed by it,” Maggiore said of playing on real grass. “I just think they want to play on a natural surface to give his kids an advantage because they’re used to it and we’re not. I just think if you’re in the finals, you should play at a stadium that’s nice.

“We’ll play them anywhere. We’re just excited to play. But I think it’s going to be tough to fit all those people in there. I do feel bad for the people who are going to have to stand.”

Running wild

The early season ankle injury that cost reigning Tribune Player of the Year Chris Solomon may be turning out to be a good thing as the season winds down.

Solomon is fresher than most other running backs would be at this point in the season and clearly has hit his stride while others may be wearing down. Solomon had his best game of the season last week against La Mirada, when he rushed for 290 and five touchdowns.

The performance was so impressive Maggiore said his star running back might be playing the best football of his career.

“I took him a few weeks to get back and comfortable, and then it took him a few more weeks to get in shape,” Maggiore said. “He’s only carried the ball 121 times, so he hasn’t had a huge workload this year so he’s fairly fresh. He’s running with a lot of purpose now. Last week, he turned it up a notch.

“He’s playing the best he has since he’s been here.”

Meaders will start

After being sick and missing some practice time last week, Bulldogs defensive end Justen Meaders sat out the first two series of West Covina’s win over La Mirada. Meaders later left the game and did not return after getting the wind knocked out of him.

Meaders will start Friday and is 100 percent, according to Maggiore.

“We were up by 30 points at the time,” Maggiore said of why Meaders didn’t return against La Mirada. “He’s fine. He’ll start.”

About Fred Robledo

Never understood the field surface argument. Maybe someone can help me with the science of how it is an advantage. It is the same for both teams. It may slow down the fast team – but wouldn’t it make the slower team even slower?

Bulldogs have bite

Just askin’ ,

You are correct. It should in theory make both teams slower. But it’s like a racecar driver using somebody else’s car, he is not used to the feel and tolerances of the car and would turn in a slower lap time than he would in his own car.

WC had to practice on dirt/grass all summer because the Stadium field turf was being replaced with brand new field turf before the season started. Which is funny because the old field turf was not even a decade old and La Serna/Cal cannot afford to put a real surface in period. The Bulldog team is not completely unfamiliar with natural playing surfaces like dirt/grass. Our practice fields can get pretty ugly over the summer.

Football mom

Why can’t we just play on a nice field where we can fit more than 1500 people on the visitors side.There 7000 people at last years CIF game. La Serna is being ridiculous!!! Fake gras, real grass? who cares! it will slow the fast team and slow the the slow team even more? I think these kids deserve to play in a nice stadium! Who cares just play the dam game La Serna!!!

Great Job Fred! Not even a simple post asking for blogger opinions? NOTHING? You don’t even have to do any investigating! Just get our thoughts and give us a place to blog rather than having invade the precious football threads!

Bulldogs have bite

Football mom,

The La Serna coaches are scared. That’s why they try these lame tactics to gain any advantage they can get. They even want to limit the amount of fans Bulldog nation brings to the game, because we do make an impact by showing up in numbers at every game. Our boys never feel like the road team when they normally have more fans on their side than the home squad! Coach Beltran of La Serna knows this and wants to limit how many people can watch the game by playing it in this dirt bowl pop warner stadium. Any coach with CLASS would know if his stadium was Cal Hi he would move the game PERIOD. Podley of Bonita is a CLASS coach and did the right thing. This Beltran guy may know his x’s and o’s but he has a lot to learn about sportsmanship, gamesmanship and class. He will get little to no respect in coaching circles with his “playing surface” tantrum.

Your stadium plain sucks Beltran! Accept it! Should have agreed to play elsewhere from the get go! No excuses, no need for tricks, just man up and agree to play at a suitable stadium! How hard is that? Then sit back and let the boys do the rest and the fans enjoy the game!

fan

Bulldog with the bite,

Get over it. For someone who never played American Football or driven a race car you sure don’t know anything about the game. As a former football player I played in SNOW, FLORIDA MUSH and FOZEN TURF. As a player it don’t matter where you play. Game time on Friday your boys along with LS will be ready. I hope a freak storm comes in and both teams play in mud. I am a SGV football fan pulling for WC. OK!!! Your coach will prepare the Bulldogs for the game. Coach should tell parents like you to just be quiet and enjoy the ride. You sound like a typical Amat fan. waaaawaaawwaaaa

Bulldogs have bite

fan,

First off I have played football and driven a racecar as a matter of fact. Do I know you? Do you know me? Come introduce yourself to me and you can meet my twins. Second, I never said the playing surface would make a difference. I was only giving a possible analogy to another poster as to why Beltran of LS would want this game on grass and not turf. An analogy I would say is pretty plausible. I don’t care if they play the game in the mouth of a volcano with a hurricane swirling above, as long as there is enough seats to watch it live is what I’m concerned about. I know coach Maggiore will have his team ready! He’s actually scheming football to his kids and not trying to use mother nature as part on his gameplan!

So fan, should I have your tutor come over and refresh you in reading comprehension, or are you up to speed now? Glad you are pulling for WC!

Cong ’76

The sad thing for La Serna’s players is, they are forever going to recall the schelacking they received in their “own” stadium when they take the field next year and for years to come.

TWCable Sports Channel 101’s ‘Prep Sports Night Live’
will be at this game shooting highlights for our show which starts at 10:30 p.m. after the game… please tune in.

Great comment by Coach Maggiore: ‘”We’ll play them anywhere. We’re just excited to play. But I think it’s going to be tough to fit all those people in there. I do feel bad for the people who are going to have to stand.”

See you on the sidelines FJR…

Fred Robledo

Breaking: CIF officials have visited Cal Hi and will allow the game to be played there on Friday.

Bulldogs have bite

Well looks like Beltranny got his dream site approved. Coach Maggiore and the boys make his dream a nightmare come Friday night!

Go Bulldogs!

12th man

*******ARRIVE EARLY*******
LA SERNA WILL HAVE PLENTY OF SEATS IF THE WEST COVINA SIDE FILLS UP!!

BULLDOG TIA

Ok so Cal High it is. As for myself…I’m leaving to the game at 4pm. I want to make sure i get a seat! Good luck to both teams! See all my fellow BULLDOG FANS there. Get there early!!

CoViNa

R.I.P La serna. If it was gonna be bad to begin with, now its gonna be worse.

that is a terrible place to play a Championship game, i went to the Semi final there and there are 2 patches of grass and theres not going to be enough seating, is it too late to find a field with real grass and enough seating?

linda escobedo

All of you WC fans should be ashamed of yourself!!! The LS Coaches are not scared they just want to play this game on their home field and what is wrong with that???? These boys will remember this game for the rest of their lives no matter where it is played at!!!! No matter what the out come of this game may be both teams have played hard all year long and deserve nothing but RESPECT!!!!!

12th man

Linda Escobedo,
You are missing the point! West Covina doesn’t care if they play on dirt, grass, cement, charcoal!! They just want enough seats to Accomodate all its fans~…Like you said these boys will remember this game for the rest of their lives..(Example) Could you imagine little Johnny scoring his 1st TD in a Championship game & then looking over to see if he can find his Mom or Dad…But wait!! They could’nt get in because it was over-crowded~..Alot of these kids want to share this moment with Family ,Friends, & Relatives..So Shame on La Serna for being so Selfish & not moving the game to a different venue~…I really hope WC fans dont storm the Home side for seats..But this is High School Football at its finest & you never know what’s going to happen?~ lol..

dodgerblue

I totally agree with what linda escobedo is saying saying. It’s kind of ironic that the WC fans say LS has no class when there is talk about “raiding” the La Serna side during the game. Remember what this game is all about, the kids. They’ve worked too hard for too long to see the most important game of their lives be ruined by fans. It’ sickening.

proud bulldog mama

Us Bulldog fans roll deep regardless of where we play, we have the best fan support and it’s sad that as defending CIF champs we get no respect. You’ve got to be kidding me when u say the visitors side at Cal HS only seats 1,500 what a joke. That’s about the number of fans/family that come out for one of our players alone, Solomon. Where’s everyone else gonna sit? Looks like we’ll be sitting on the home side too. Shove a bun LS, watch & learn how true fans cheer!

You state “The LS Coaches are not scared they just want to play this game on their home field and what is wrong with that????

Ok, since you asked;

1. Not enough seating on visitors side, even with your 500 temporary bleacher seats.
2. Field is in terrible condition, who really wants to play in a “dust” bowl?
3. No press box, I am sure Fox Sports West will thank you for that one (or any media outlets for that matter)

Need more?

Bulldogs have bite

Linda Escobedo,

The La Serna coaches are SCARED! They are the ones who should be ASHAMED of themselves! Their SELFISH decision and NOVICE experience will probably force some of those boys parents, family and friends to have to stand or not let into the game to watch them play at all. Why? Because they want a home game? Because they want to play on grass? SELFISH!Don’t you get atleast 5 HOME games a year, plus now 2 in the playoffs? Guess what, WC will now be playing our third road game out of four playoff games and we just want a place to sit. Seating is something that Cal Hi is lacking.

It’s a punk move by those SCARED La Serna coaches! SHAME ON THEM!

SGV Champ

Years ago, I had the good fortune to win a CIF Footbal title playing for a school here in the SGV. The game was played at Mt. SAC and, to this day, I still have dreams about walking out of the team room, across that beautiful track and onto one of the most amazing fields I have ever played on! And I’ll never forget the feeling of looking up into those giant stands and seeing an estimated 10,000 people who showed up for the big game! It was something special, something different.

La Serna is missing the point. It’s not about getting a home game. It’s about creating a CHAMPIONSHIP ENVIRONMENT. Personally, I’ve never been to CalHi. But if what everyone is saying is true (poor field, lack of seating, no press box), that sounds like a bad preseason environment…not one associated with the culminating event of the season.

Keep this in mind…this will, most likely, be the single biggest moment in many of these kids young lives. It’s a moment they will remember for the rest of their existence. La Serna has an obligation to make every effort possible to make the event worthy of that distinction.

Cong ’76

SGV Champ…..exactly right

Cong ’76

The La Serna coaching staff has good reason to be worried…

Bulldogs have bite

SGV Champ,

Well said! Now instead of looking up into the stands, the players will look at thousands of people standing behind a chain link fence like some sort of internment camp. Like a scene from Red Dawn!

Back2Back

Don’t mean to compare apples & oranges with volleyball & football (God forbid…) but it seems we had this convo a few weeks ago with CIF deciding to host a Championship game, without considering the best interest of both teams. As for St. Lucy’s, the players went out and proved that at anytime & any place, they would defend their title & repeat as CIF champs! I’m sure come Friday night the same can be said of WC…Go Bulldogs!

The U, TheU

La Serna will not be able to compete in this game. They may get beat as bad as Vista M beat Upland.

Worse than that

I think La Serna will get embarrassed like Charter Oak was embarrassed by Upland.

CT

Bulldong Nation-
It’s winter and the grass isn’t green or perfect. The bleachers are not heated. There is no overhead protection for the players. They don’t serve you food in the bleachers. It’s a high school football game. Things aren’t perfect for your players or fans. CIF has made their decision and they should know better than anyone else. The LS fans are not crying; why should you? Just because you play your home games on artificial surface doesn’t mean you get to overturn a coin toss so you can play on the same surface as your home field. C’mon now! While you would like everything to be picture perfect, it can’t always be. Yea, the grass is brown, the bleachers are small, the parking lot is a little bit farther than what you’re used to, the goal posts are shorter than NFL size, the snack shack lines are long and the ticket window is slow-but, the scoreboard is new and large. The better for you guys to light it up. It’s a cake walk to the championship. The LS quarterback can’t throw, the line is small, linebackers are slow and small, running backs are not quick. EZ win for the BN!

Anonymous

honestly, you WC people are ridiculous!!its not la serna’s fault Cal High was the stadium that was picked! if you have a problem with the grass or how many people it holds then DON’T GO! it shouldn’t matter where this game takes place, let these athletes have there day!! let them play! and if you really cared about the sport you would know that! so stop bagging on Beltran and LS! this is the first time we’ve been to the finals since 1969! let it go!!im not bagging on WC?? so why do you have to bag on us? I’m a senior at LS and my friends have worked just as hard as WC has to be where they are right now. so win or lose I’m proud to be a Lancer and i don’t have to tear West Covina down to say that!! and i think it’s rude of all you to talk down on La Serna, think about things before you type them!

Cong ’76

Anonymous…

Congratulations on your school reaching the finals, however, it was indeed the choice of your administration/coaching staff that picked Cal-Hi as the location. Since it was 1969 when you guys were in this big a game, it is obvious your administration lacks the knowledge and wisdom to make a decision based on anything but pure self-interest.

I truly hope all players emerge uninjured when the fourth quarter is over.

12th man

Met Jimmy Fraziers dad todat at West Covina~..Good luck to your son & the rest of the Bulldogs!!

California Idiots Federation

If the field is in such poor conditions why would CIF officals approve of it? What does this say about CIF?

5fdp

I was hoping for a good game but screw that i hope west co just unloads on this school cal hi stadium is a dump what the hel is wrong with cif.

SupaMan

So the 2011 CIF SE CHAMPIONSHIP game will be played in the dirt on Fox Sports Net, cool… Way to represent the Southeast La Serna!!!
CALLING ALL BULLDOGS, CALLING ALL BULLDOGS!!! THE STAGE IS SET, BRING YOUR MAROON AND GOLD RALLY TOWELS, BRING YOUR MAKE SOME NOISE SIGNS, BRING YOUR I CAN’T HEAR YOU SIGNS, AND BRING YOUR DEFENSE SIGNS…. WE ARE ON A MISSION. TO BE THE LOUDEST MOST DOMINANT HS CHEERING CROWD THERE EVER WAS…. BULLDOG NATION IN FULL EFFECT!!! HERE WE GO BULLDOGS HERE WE GO, HERE WE GO BULLDOGS HERE WE GO!!! WEST COVINA BULLDOGS BACK-TO-BACK CIF SE DIVISION CHAMPIONS!!! HAS A NICE RING, DOESN’T IT? LET’S GIVE OUR BOYS SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF….

CT

Did Bonita win the coin toss for last year’s final? Then, did Bull Dong nation throw a tizzy fit to get it moved to a neutral site because “there wasn’t enough seats, the grass was too brown, the sky was too dark, etc., etc.” Hmmm, I see a pattern here.
What a bunch of crap. And they want to point their anger at LS and CIF? Grow up! And the Trib writers should stop fanning the flames.

reality

Game time temp Friday Night 42 with wind chill making it easily in the 30’s. There will be plenty of empty seats though a big crowd would help in keeping each other warm.

Lol

Wow. La Serna and West Covina should play at Cortez Park. Lol, nobody wants to see a Div 20 high school football game.

Hoss Cartwright

@ lol

Obviously your team is not playing on Fri or Sat. Sucks to be you. Your team should be back in the weight room, and on the practice field. Obviously they are not good enough in whatever div they play in. Their will be at least 5,000 people at these CIF title Games. Go comment on a basketball thread or something hater.

Good luck West Covina Bulldogs
Good Luck Monrovia Fighting Wildcat

-Hoss

Lancer

I can’t believe all of the whiney bitchy Einsteins at West Covina. Not only do they know facility planning better than than La Serna’s Administration but they also know more about Football then the CIF. And they have unraveled the conspiracy between LS and CIF to prevent Westco from back to back D VII championships. The Westco fans have even discovered that Jimmy Hoffa is burried in the Cal Hi end zone and the Kennedy murder actually occurred from the grassy knoll at the CHS 40 yard line. By now you have discovered that nobody gives a sh@+ about what you have to say or all your drama and you have absolutely no voice in the decision. So come on out and stomp your feet and flail your arms and don’t visit the concessions stands (it will only cut my wait. Poor little Freddie Pancho is actually going to have to do his job in the same conditions as the 6,000 other SGV fans. What a travesty. See you at the game and let’s hope it stays injury free.

Steely Don

12th Man’s comments are the best I’ve read in all these blogs. Giving the players AND the fans a truly special experience is what this night calls for, not a jumble of improvised bleachers and standing by fences.

To those of you who are saying it doesn’t matter where you play, urging us to just strap ’em up and play, I would say tell that to the NFL, because not having a new stadium is the EXACT REASON we have no pro football in this area. The professionals know that venue counts tremendously, but apparently there are savants in the Whittier area who haven’t gotten the message.

It’s also been said here that this is a game the players will remember the rest of their lives. That’s true, but this shoddy treatment by La Serna is something the FANS will also remember the rest of their lives.

La Serna is sowing seeds of hate throughout the area with this move, and I for one won’t soon forget it.

CT

West Covina pulled the same trick last year. After they lost home field advantage, they cried and had the game moved from Bonita’s home field. I think the CIF officials got tired of their whining.

MR. CHARLES DARWIN

Talk about stupid!

So when did West Covina become De La Salle. Wasn’t it a few years ago that Diamond Ranch handed them their lunch in a playoff game West Covina was favored in? And wasn’t it last year when West Covina imploded against cross town rival Covina in an epic coaching melt down? And wasn’t it about this time last year that a “take it to the house or fall down” interception would have crowned Bonita CIF Championships after blowing them out a few weeks earlier? And didn’t Podley really earn COY honors after getting the team to the Championship Game with Pendleton down for a stretch and coming off a disasterous year?

The saying goes, “To the Victor goes the Spoils”…however it seems as if the Victors have spoiled. Just listen to the garbage coming out of all of you people. La Serna had a choice and that’s that. Why make it all about dumping on the school, the facilities and just about any thing else you can think of.

Now this idiot Steely Don comes in an talks about the NFL. WOW! Here’s a tip for all the geniuses here. With so many schools in the Fish Bowl and with these two Divisions basically beginning nothing more than Fish Bowl A and Fish Bowl B why not schedule “both” games at Mt. SAC or Citrus or ELAC on the same day like the City Championship used to do at the LA Coliseum.

The blog once again fails to be any thing more than a collection of the stupid. So much for foresight, so much for The Tribune taking “ownership” of the process and so much for the local movers and shakers doing the right thing by the players. For all my years in the Fish Bowl I’ve yet to see any leadership out here. Lot’s of back slapping, greasing of the rails and chest thumping drunks but no real direction.

No wonder CIF has basically given in to the Fish Bowl mentality and left us out of the mix to fend for ourselves. What a joke ! Heck I’m play buck naked in the snow if I had a chance for a ring and what does every one want to talk about…THE FREAKIN VENUE !!!!

And tell me how did last year’s move of venue turn out? I believe Bonita was very happy with the fans attendance.

If the game would have been played at Bonita, several thousand people would have been turned away.

Quit “thinking” and get some facts together.

Football mom

For all you Bulldog haters. We will leave it all out on the field! Talk to you all Saturday! After the game!Good Luck LS, you’ll need it!

Voice of Reason

STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES ! Really? What kind of loser still quotes from Forrest Gump?

Voice of Reason

STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES ! Really? What kind of loser still quotes from Forrest Gump?

Voice of Reason

STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES ! Really? What kind of loser still quotes from Forrest Gump?

Football mom

Mr, Darwin,
What are you doing writing a STORY on this blog if its supposed to be for stupid people. GO PLAY SOME FANTASY FOOTBALL!!!

Swiss Embassy

If we chose to live in a Fish Bowl, and we do in terms of Football, why not make it an annual event at Mt. SAC, Citrus or ELAC. All have great fields, great sight lines and ample parking and are centrally located. That way every school knows going in where the Championships will be held.

Seems like very year it’s the same old same old. When CO played the 1st title game vs DR they complained about “venue” and seating. Had to wait in line almost an hour for that game and many fans arrived almost at halftime. The next year it was at Ganesha and CO didn’t fill the stands, maybe because it was as cold as it will be this week. Last year WC complained and yes it was PACKED but leads to the same, every thing seems last minute.

With a year’s notice the game could be marketed better, more sponsors, better venue preparation, in short more professional. Maybe even on a Saturday as to really racket up attendance.

Last point and I made this point last year and it sickens me that WC is at it again this year. While LS like Bonita before them are wasting time dealing with this “request” WC, like CO before them, are not! Say what you will about gamesmanship or whatever, it’s down right chicken squat. What’s the point of winning home field if all it brings is head ache!

“Practice? Practice? Are we talking about PRACTICE?”…does the year matter?

“You want the truth? YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH” A FEW GOOD MEN 1992

JMO

Swiss,
CO 2008 championship game was at MSAC, 2009 was at Ayala so put down that pipe Bogart.

LaFan

W.Covina, you guys sound like little BIATCHES…….. OBVIOUSLY LaSerna won Homefield so they get to choose…. You’re asking for a nicer stadium and you aren’t even the Pac5, Inland or a D3 CIF contender… Give me a break…… You sound like you are already making excuses for your upcoming LOSS. Why would LaSerna accommodate W.Covina’s strengths( speed & fanbase)? There’s plenty of room for LS’s fans. Thats what homefield advantage means…. If adequate room was an importance, CIF would govern and choose a facility for each CIF title game. They would gather revenues throughout the year from each school for their division. So W.C. stop sniveling, you are HEAVILY favorited to win…….

Bulldogs have bite

A few things I have noticed over the last couple days on this subject.

Not a single La Serna poster has disagreed about Cal Hi being a crummy stadium. So they post the cliche phrase “Who cares, it’s about the boys and they don’t care where they play”.

Not many La Serna people seemed too concerned about the limited seating either. Maybe LS just don’t have the fan support that a championship team should have. WC fans are confident that we will show up in numbers for a championship game and have the track record to back it up. Mt. Sac 2004, 10,000 towel waving maniacs for the Final, 2010, Kenn Gunn Stadium, Walnut High, atleast 6000-7000 standing room only.

When WC had a home & home series with Mater Dei they requested a bigger venue for their large fan base. WC obliged and rented out Mt. Sac for a NON-LEAGUE game! Why would we do that when we agreed on a home & home and it was our home game? Because WC knows something about class and respect for the opponents concerns. We gave them a tougher than expected game losing 28-10, but it was a much tighter game up until the 4th. Mt. Sac is a grass field also by the way. The Bulldogs have proven to be a class team and would easily agree to accomadate La Serna if the tables were turned.

La Serna fans have posted that we are cry babies because we are not getting our way. When you look at the facts, it’s LS that are the babies that insist on getting their way no matter how cheap the championship game setting is, and how many fans of the game will not be able to be part of something special for both teams. Which I’m sure they all agree that Cal High is cheap because not one of them yet has posted anything positive about their home stadium!

I know this means nothing because the stage has been set and there is nothing to be done about it. But let’s all be clear which team the babies are, La Serna and their broke administration that don’t want to foot the bill of a short bus ride for their team to play at a much more suitable stadium local to them! They can save a few bucks, but nothing is going to save them from the savage whooping their team is going to endure Friday night!

Go Bulldogs! Beat the La Cheapos!

Bulldogs have bite

*****BREAKING NEWS*************************

La Serna head coach announces this years La Serna team banquet will be held at Denny’s across the street from Pioneer High!

Beltran: “I feel like Denny’s is the most suitable place for such a memorable and grand occasion. Denny’s won the coin flip over Ihop for the right to host the banquet and I’m not moving the banquet despite the fact that Denny’s capacity cannot seat all the players and their families. Our AD called Denny’s and they will combine a few tables together so the football boosters approved the site.”

Lancer:”It’s not important where they have the banquet. As long as their is eggs and bacon on my plate and I don’t have to spend gas money to have the banquet moved to a more suitable site.”

La Serna Alum: “Last year we had our banquet at Del Taco. It’s our first visit to Denny’s since 1967

The Chef

The Chef said:
@Dan,

The home side seats 2,500 not 1,500 (100 feet long by 30 rows high). Add the 800 temp seats gets you to 3,300. I have known you to always be a polite and respectful blogger in all blogs. If the West Covina fans run out of seats on the Visitor side, then by all means, come join us on the La Serna side. You will find the La Serna fans to be delightful, passionate, engaged, polite and very warm and hospitable group. You know EXACTLY like the West Covina fans. We will have a lot in common an just a few differences. I am sure that they all would like for both sides to play a great injury free game and win or lose, will invite you to Norms Burgers on Whittier Blvd after to either congratulate or console you. Best of Luck Bulldogs and enjoy the game.

Oh no

Bulldogs have whine…

Most WC fans may have class but one thing I’ve noticed over the past days is, quite frankly, you don’t. Calling La Serna el cheapos? Certainly classy right? Maybe it was about the money. Maybe they couldn’t justify spending money to rent out a stadium for a mere game. Especially when districts all over are strapped for cash and forced to have furlough days just to get by.

Wah Wah wah wah wah all day is what you do. LS won the toss, they don’t have to accommodate anyone who is not affiliated with LS. Deal with it.

Dan

Chef,
Your absolutely right about fans of both sides, we’ve all got many things in common and one big one is our love for Friday night lights. It’s to bad about the seating issue but I’m certainly not going to let it ruin my night, I’m over it. I don’t take things too seriously here, life is too short. If I had a word or two of disagreement with another poster on here, it would not carry on past this blog, if I met that person I would extend my hand and have a fun conversation with him/her. In 06 when Aram started this blog there was a poster named Joe who was from Rowland. We would talk trash on here sometimes but ironically a couple of years later I ended up helping the guy coach on my sons baseball team, we got along great.
Thanks for the invite if I can’t find a seat I may just do that, but I’m going to get there early so I should find a good seat on our visitor side.
Funny you mentioned Norms. We stopped there after last weeks game coming back from La Mirada.
A guy with a La Serna sweatshirt shirt came up to our table and we had a nice conversation, was that you? If so it was nice meeting with you, we will probably head to Norms after the game again on Friday.

Bulldogs have bite

Oh no I’m broke,

If LS is broke. Maybe they should not of accepted the right to host a game? You guys want to do things on the cheap that’s fine. But flag football championships are played in better stadiums than Cal. Take your lumps. obviously the general consensus is that your LS staff are showing their inexperience in these type of situations. I well leave a penny in the bleachers so LS can double the salary of their coaching staff! Call me names, but I’m still waiting for the objective LS people to say one positive thing about their stadium. We already know they can’t.

12th man

****************ARRIVE EARLY******************
The seating is a small block in the middle that goes from one 40yd line to the other(60ft 30 rows)…I suggest the band take their own folding chairs to make more room~….The reason why La Serna doesn’t want to spend any money is because they already know the game wont be close!!…All this talk about budget cut-backs & furloughs & being strapped for cash is BS~…Take some pride in your School & Team you haven’t been to a CIF Championship since 1967!! I say go all out!!

To once again correct your definitive observation (can you say know-it-all)about a stadium that you have never attended, the visitor seating runs from the 32 yard line to 32 yard line (100 feet) and is 30 rows high. This is approximately 2,500 seats. There will be approximately 800 temp bleacher seats brought in for a total of 3,300 seats. The home side is approximately 3,500. If the West Covina fans would feel more comfortable in sitting on the home side, then please feel free to come over and join us.

I am rather surprised however that you could take time from your self appointed job as Amat’s web blog strategist to see such an unimportant game. Perhaps you can leave some painfully obvious (and totally useless) tips for either side so that you can (wrongly) take credit for whatever success that they may achieve. If you get enough attention I bet Coach Hagerty will even release you from your non-existent contract and you can go on to a more substantial role as web blog coordinator or perhaps web blog assistant coach.

This isn’t Munchkin Land

chef – that might be how the fire code determines capacity – but in LUS you didn’t subtract the space of any aisles that impact hundreds in your calculations.

This isn’t Munchkin Land

sorry. the wicked witch just fell on my keyboard!

chef – that might be how the fire code determines capacity – but in no bleachers in America do fans only take up 18 inches per person.

PLUS you didn’t subtract the space of any aisles that impact hundreds in your calculations.

wells

This has been a hotly debated issue…and much has been very ignorant and misinformed. HS players for any sport would cherish the opportunity to play in a larger, better, flashier venue that is not normally used for their regular season games.

However, home field plays an important role. Any good coach understands that value of this concept. The WC bloggers that insult the LS coaches and AD have no business even voicing their opinion here if you don’t grasp that basic concept of sports.

The concerns that are the most important — the ones where CIF should take control to guarantee — are seating and access for the media. CIF, needs to be more assertive to ensure fans are not overlooked; which would encompass the media.

I had the opportunity to talk to a couple of LS players before their game with Muir and they seemed to be well prepared for that game. Their were intelligent and respectful.

It should be a good game — it is shameful to think that a better venue was not selected for these young men considering the time, effort and pain it took these young men to arrive at this point.

Alfredo Losoya

LS is just a cheap shot.. They should’ve told the CIF officials to host it at a community college because theirs more seats for a lot of people who are going to show up thus playing on better turf or grass. Cal high is just going to be very dirty the way the field is… The players deserve to play in a nicer and better field. Plus theirs going to be more than 3,000 people who will attend this championship game.. West Covina bulldogs all the way, we are about to go for another CIF championship!!!!!!

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